Thursday, July 07, 2011

The Creature 2

Warning: This post is a horror story. Parts of this story may be disturbing to young readers. Reader discretion advised.

I crouched in fear under the cot in the pitch blackness of the night that lay like a silent shroud around the house. There was no movement for miles. The air was damp and heavy and still. Somewhere in the distance a wolf howled. It was a low mournful howl. I had heard the howl before, but today it seemed to herald something… or someone. I tried not to shiver. Any movement could give my presence away. The predator had an acute sense of smell and movement. I had seen its devastating effect on the people who lived in the house. They were all gone now. Taken down with the precision that had left no imprint of the struggle or the carnage.

The flapping sound could be heard again. Like a giant winged creature that was struggling to stretch its wings in a confined space of the rooms it was going through with a fine toothed comb. The sound could be heard again. It seemed to come from the first floor of the house. I stifled a sob of pure fear. I was in the ground floor of the house and fear had me petrified to the floor. From under the cot I could see the front door. But making a break for it could be suicidal because the first floor landing overlooked the front door. I wanted to run but I was frozen to the spot. My mind seemed to have had lost control of my body. I closed my eyes. I knew it would be over soon. Pretty soon it would be on the ground floor and it would be seconds before it found me.I wondered if it would be painful or quick. My thoughts were churning at fever pitch. I hoped it would be quick. I wondered if I could bargain with the creature. Perhaps I would promise not to scream in return for a quick death. I wondered if it would understand my language. A hysterical laugh escaped my lips.

The house seemed to tense.

I had given myself away.

After a moment of a devastating silence I heard the awful flapping sound again as the creature glided down to the ground floor in a giant arc. A soft thud was all that heralded its landing on the ground floor. There was deathly silence and then, the sound of clawed feet moving towards my room. It paused at the entrance sniffing the air like a gourmand. Its keen eyes seemed to be slicing the thick darkness looking for its prey. Then I heard the awful thump of its feet moving towards my bed. The steps were unhurried but purposeful like a predator moving towards its prey. I closed my eyes and my mind blanked out.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!” screeched the creature swooping on me.

“Anjaleeeeeeeeeeeee.” It screamed again.

“Oh shut up!” I snapped.

“Are you getting up or not!!” snapped the creature err… my mom.

“You know the answer to that!” I yawned pulling the blanket over my face.

“But of course!” she said yanking the blanket and pouring a glass of water on my face. I got up gasping for air. The cold water had me wide awake.

“Is that water from the tap or Aquaguard?” I asked disconsolately. I didn’t want to catch Cholera on my birthday. Or Dysentery for that matter.

“It’s from the bucket in your bathroom.” She said walking out of the door.

That information gave me the necessary incentive to jump out of bed in a flash and dash to the toilet screaming “ewwwww”. The wolves err... dogs always drank from that bucket when I was not looking.

I was ready in a trice smelly heavily of Dettol and some other cleaning liquid. The other victims err... family members were dressed for Mass and passed out on the living room couches in various stages of sleep like 'fast asleep', 'snoring' and 'out cold'. The Dettol fumes took care of that. They got up gasping and choking for air and kept their head out of the window all the way to the church. I felt mighty pleased with myself. I was turning out to just like my mom, only more effective. Tee hee.